1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic component which is suitably used when a movable electronic component body such as a polymer actuator is cut off from the outside air.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the related art, in order to stably operate a polymer actuator in various atmospheres, an actuator having a sealing structure has been considered. An electronic component shown in FIG. 6 has a sealing film 130 which covers an actuator body 115 and electrodes 125a and 125b so as to wrap the entireties thereof, and at least portions of conductive lines 142, for applying voltages to the electrodes 125a and 125b, which portions are connected to the electrodes 125a and 125b are retained between the sealing film 130 and the actuator body 115. The sealing film 130 has performance to cut off the outside air. Metal layers 144 are provided between the sealing film 130 and the electrodes 125a and 125b or inside the sealing film 130.
The electrical connection between the conductive lines 142 and the electrodes 125a and 125b is established as follows. Prior to forming the electrodes 125a and 125b on the metal layers 144, the metal layers 144 and the conductive lines 142 whose ends are exposed are electrically connected to each other by means of a conductive adhesive 143, solder, or the like. Then, the electrodes 125a and 125b are formed so as to cover the conductive lines 142 whose ends are exposed, thereby electrically connecting the conductive lines 142 to the electrodes 125a and 125b. Next, the conductive lines 142 whose ends are exposed are substantially perpendicularly bent to come into contact with side-wall portions of the electrodes 125a and 125b, and the conductive lines 142, the side-wall portions of the electrodes 125a and 125b, and the surfaces of the metal layers 144 are coupled to each other by means of the conductive adhesive 143 to provide a structure of being fixed to the surfaces of the metal layers 144. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2008-035682 is an example of the related art.
As described above, in the existing electronic component, the outside air can be cut off from the actuator body 115. However, the structure of the electronic component is complicated in order to ensure contact between the electrodes 125a and 125b and the conductive lines 142 as described.